Bamfield, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, 2024

Designed by local Bamfield resident Wayne Wenstob, this 5,000 sf cathedral-like frame makes use of massive western red cedar logs and timbers that were sourced in part from a community-managed forest. The frame was cut by 50 volunteers of mixed experience, over the course of two weeks at a TFG Community Build Project. I was one of ten instructors on site, and drafted the plans that were used by the entire team.

Bamfield Community Hall

Bamfield Community Hall timber frame in the sunshine, with diamond shaped trusses and huge western red cedar round log posts.
Two log columns with intact roots in a huge cedar timber frame in British Columbia, standing at different heights.
Low angle perspective of newly raised timber frame on Vancouver Island, featuring round log columns and diamond shaped trusses.
Looking under a parallel chord truss at a great hall with two massive cantilevered timber framed beams.
Aerial perspective of the raised timber frame at the Bamfield Community Hall on Vancouver Island.
Ariel Schecter and Nathan Gruenwald, embracing under the newly raised Bamfield Community Hall timber frame.
Carpenters standing inside the Bamfield Community Hall, showing the massive scale of the timber frame.
Gigantic round log post of western red cedar featured inside the Bamfield Community Hall.
Carpenter spreading his arms in between two cedar log posts, under a row of diamond shaped trusses in the Bamfield Community Hall.
Ariel Schecter and Willa Murray hug after the successful raising of the timber frame at the Bamfield Community Hall on Vancouver Island.
Gigantic timber framed cantilever beam and round cedar column in the Bamfield Community Hall on Vancouver Island.
Parallel chord truss showing the alignment of struts in the Bamfield Community Hall timber frame on Vancouver Island.
Two log builders arrive early to survey the harvested logs for the Bamfield Community Hall timber frame.
Gigantic douglas fir cookie makes a rubbermaid trash can look tiny.
Volunteers at timber framers guild community build workshop, milling a gigantic douglas fir beam.
Ariel Schecter showing off big 16x16 western red cedar posts at the Bamfield TFG community build project.
Tree stump chainsaw storage by Robert Savignac at TFG community build project.
A woman timber framer straddles on top of a huge western red cedar log at TFG community build project in Bamfield, British Columbia.
Japanese timber frame scarf joint called kanawa-tsugi cut into massive western red cedar beam.
Two carpenters after assembling a giant Japanese kanawa-tsugi scarf joint for a western red cedar timber frame.
Two log builders doing tandem chainsaw work using one long bar attached to an engine at both ends.
Giant western red cedar log column with mortise and tenon joinery.

Video tour of the raised timber frame in the Bamfield Community Hall on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Timber framer Steve Macphearson pounds a wedge into a massive Japanese scarf joint called kanawa-tsugi, cut into a 10×20 western red cedar timber.

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First Light Pavilion